Carol Mansfield: Think holiday highway safety

Friday

Dec 23, 2011 at 12:01 AMDec 23, 2011 at 10:20 PM

As Christmas and New Year’s approach, and with them the threat of inclement weather, there is increased attention paid to highway safety, and how to avoid needless traffic accidents and fatalities. Those of us in the business of emergency medical transportation are keenly aware that there could be far fewer injuries and fatalities with more careful behavior on the part of drivers.

While alcohol-related accidents grab a fair share of the headlines, it is fair to say that “distracted driving” is also a big culprit in this situation. In fact, as alcohol-related auto injuries and fatalities decline, the number of accidents caused by distracted driving is on the upswing.

Carol Mansfield

As Christmas and New Year’s approach, and with it the threat of inclement weather, there is increased attention paid to highway safety, and how to avoid needless traffic accidents and fatalities. Those of us in the business of emergency medical transportation are keenly aware that there could be far fewer injuries and fatalities with more careful behavior on the part of drivers.

While alcohol-related accidents grab a fair share of the headlines, it is fair to say that “distracted driving” is also a big culprit in this situation. In fact, as alcohol-related auto injuries and fatalities decline, the number of accidents caused by distracted driving is on the upswing.

In fact, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has termed distracted driving an “epidemic” on America’s roadways, and says that the DOT is committed to ending it. We certainly support that sentiment.

In Massachusetts, it is now illegal to text and drive. However, distracted driving encompasses far more activities than merely using a cell phone to text.

Distracted driving is any activity which could divert a person’s attention away from their primary task, namely, driving the automobile. “Texting” is the activity that is most often associated with distracted driving, but the use of a cell phone, eating or drinking, even talking to passengers, glancing at a map, or fiddling with a navigation device or radio all are included in that category.

How many times have we all seen evidence of drivers who are distracted? When you next drive, take a look at the people around you on the highway. How many are using a cell phone? How often does a driver swerve between lanes, run a red light, or narrowly miss a pedestrian or another vehicle because their concentration is elsewhere?

The website www.distraction.gov offers a sobering look into what happens on highways and provides statistics that should give us all pause. In 2009, for example, according to their website, more than 5,000 people were killed in crashes involving driver distraction and nearly 450,000 were injured. Because most authorities agree that text messaging is the most severe form of distracted driving, statistics from this year do little to reassure us that the problem is under control.

In June 2011, for example, according to the website, more than 196 billion text messages were sent or received in the U.S., up nearly 50 percent from 2009. The website cites research showing that 40 percent of all Americans have been in a vehicle when the driver used a cell phone that put people in danger; and that drivers who use hand-held devices are four times more likely to get into crashes that are serious enough to injure themselves.

Ironically, the number of alcohol-impaired fatalities in the U.S. has decreased dramatically, while distracted driving accidents and fatalities seem poised to eclipse it.

Citizens can debate how far government and legislation reaches into our private lives by outlawing certain behaviors that lead to distracted driving. We believe that the best way to curb distracted driving is to educate people about the danger that it poses. The statistics on www.distraction.gov should be enough to make us think twice. It’s worth remembering that “it doesn’t always happen to the other person.”

All of us have an obligation to our families, our fellow drivers and ourselves to be alert and careful on the highways. Anyone looking for a good New Year’s resolution to adopt should consider, “I’ll be the safest and least distracted driver that I can be.” We wish you all a safe and accident-free new year!

Carol Mansfield is CEO of Stat Ambulance and Southcoast EMS, based in Dartmouth, Mass.

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